Of Beer, Burgers and Pool Tables
by EternallyEC
Summary: NC17! Do not read if you are not of legal age! This was written for Pool Table Smut day way back in 2005... Set a year and a half after the Cris reveal. Basically just John and Natalie reconnecting using the three things that are perfectly Jolie :


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing don't sue.

**Timeline/Spoilers:** About a year and a half after the Cris reveal

**Author's Note:** Okay, so. The title of this story just popped into my mind at work the other day and to tell the truth my first thought was that it seemed rather poetic. :)

The concept, naturally, came last and took a couple of hours to finally pop into my head.

**Title:** Of Beers, Burgers and Pool Tables

"Where are we going?" Natalie asked, with good reason. John had blindfolded her at the police station and forbidden her to so much as peek until they got where they were going. They'd been in the car for a few minutes and he had just helped her out. If this had been anyone but John she never would have allowed them to do this, but she trusted him with everything she had in her.

"John?" she asked uncertainly when his hand had been apart from hers for several minutes. "Just a minute," he called. She smiled as she thought about everything they had gone through the past year and a half. She had been mad as hell at first, but then she had gotten the phone call that had forever changed her life…

_"Is this Natalie Vega?" Natalie had stopped wiping down the counters at Crossroads, which Viki had recently re-opened and where she was working to lean on it instead. "Yes." The voice on the other end swallowed. "This is Dr. Montgomery from Llanview Hospital .We have a patient here. He was involved in a shoot-out and the outcome doesn't look good. He keeps calling your name out, and when we searched his pants pockets we found your number." Viki looked at her, concerned because she had gone deathly pale. "Sweetie?"_

_"What-" She swallowed and started over. "What is his name?" she whispered, afraid to hear the answer. "John McBain." She closed her eyes and gripped the counter so hard her knuckles turned white. "I'll be right there." She tossed the phone onto the counter. "Mom, John is in the hospital and it doesn't look good. He's calling for me." She looked her mother in the eyes. "Mom, I never told him I still love him," she whispered, voice trembling. "Then you'll just have to tell him now. Come on, I'll drive you." "Mom-" "Don't argue with me. You're too upset to drive and you need to get to the hospital."_

The doctors were shocked at how quickly John recovered, joking to Natalie that it was more her than it ever was them. John had agreed, saying that he hadn't had a reason to live until he'd awoken in time to hear her tearful apology and declaration of love. Natalie smiled. She hadn't ever been told she'd saved someone's life before just by saying "I love you." It felt nice.

Just then, John came up behind her and carefully untied the blindfold. "Take a look," he whispered in her ear. She gasped as she saw they were at Crossroads, where everything had begun for them. She could still remember their first meeting vividly…

_"You're Natalie?"_

_"Yeah, why?"_

_"If I didn't have a reason before, I sure got one now."_

She smiled, there had been sparks between them even then and she knew Cristian had seen it. Hadn't he told her as much when she'd gone to see him for the first and only time since John had told her the truth?

John had fixed the lights so that they were dim, setting the correct mood for a romantic evening. He had also set out a platter of burgers on the counter, and then of course there was the pool table. She turned and threw her arms around him. "When did you find time to do all this?" she whispered into his neck. "Your mom helped some, but remember when I left work early?" She hit his chest gently. "You mean when you went to 'help a friend'?" He shrugged. "I consider your mom a friend."

She laughed and he took her hand, leading her to sit down at the counter. "Oh, almost forgot." He went behind the counter and took out two cold beers, opening them. "You know just what I like," Natalie said, taking a swallow. John chuckled as he took his seat beside her again. "I should." They ate and drank in silence for a few minutes, and then Natalie had to ask. "So what made you decide to do this? You're not exactly the 'take your girlfriend out to a place with memories and fix it up special just for her' type of guy. Not that I mind of course."

John smiled. "You're right, I'm not. I guess… I know you would love to hear the words, but I just can't say them yet." He reached out and brushed a crumb from her face lovingly with his thumb. "I guess I just wanted to _show _you actively for once." He leaned in and kissed her. "Not to mention I have missed you kicking my ass at pool." Natalie laughed and finished off her beer.

"And on that note—come on McBain. I'll even let you break." She flashed him her dazzling smile as she pulled him to her feet and they headed over to the pool table. As they picked up the pool cues she smiled, loving the easy familiarity that lay between them. She had never had that with Cristian. It hadn't been easy with him because she felt she had to try her hardest to be better than she was so she would deserve him. There wasn't any of that with John, he loved and accepted her just as she was.

"What are you thinking about?" John's voice interrupted her reverie. "What?" He smiled as he knelt down to take his shot, knocking three balls in. "You got lost like you're always accusing me of doing." "I was just thinking about how easy it is with you… not like it was with Cris." She ducked her head, trying to hide her tears. "Natalie—" She looked at him. "Wait, I need to say this. John, I love you. I love everything about you. You've seen and held me at my worst, but you never walked away completely. With Cristian it was like I had to prove myself to him constantly, but with you—It's like I can let myself be me, you know?"

He nodded and kissed her. "I know exactly what you mean, because that's just how I feel with you." She smiled gratefully as he brushed her tears away. "Now that emotional outburst isn't going to make me take pity on you," he joked as he pulled her into his arms. She smacked him on the arm even as she lost herself in his kiss.

Finally he pulled back. "Time for that in a minute," he said huskily. "First we have to get this table cleared off." Her eyebrows raised suggestively and the gleam in his eyes let her know she was right on track. She smiled. "I'll take the solids." He lined up his shot again, but missed. "Damn," he said. She walked behind him putting her arms around his waist. "I have an idea," she purred into his ear. He swallowed as her voice had its' intended reaction.

"What would that be?" he whispered. She nipped his earlobe playfully as her hand reached around to cup him through his jeans. He moaned softly as she became even more aroused by the feel of his erection against her fingertips. "How about a game of Fantasy?" "Never heard of that." She smiled. "I just made it up. If I make this shot, you tell me your favorite sexual fantasy and we'll act it out right here, right now." She removed her hand and he groaned at the loss of contact but turned to face her, his eyes bright with desire.

"And if you miss?" She smiled. "Then I'll tell you my fantasy and we act it out." He nodded. "But what if you throw it on purpose?" She smiled. "Screw pool. My fantasy always involved you and this very pool table." She walked slowly around the table, knocking each ball into a pocket deliberately. "Your turn," she whispered. "Funny, that was mine too." He got a few towels from the kitchen, laying them on the table after the balls were all in.

"So, want to make our fantasies come true?" Natalie asked breathily as she stood crowded between the table and John. "Hell yes." He crushed his lips down on hers as he picked her up, setting her on the pool table. She moaned as his fingers slid underneath her shirt, ripping it apart and throwing it to the ground. She wasn't wearing a bra.

Natalie's fingers slid underneath his shirt, slowly exploring his chest. She moaned throatily as she ripped his shirt back. As he kissed her breasts he slowly lay her back. "God… John!" she moaned as he began to suckle her nipple slowly. He ran his hand up her leg teasingly—Why had he just now noticed she had on a skirt?—and found she wasn't wearing panties either. He pulled back and smiled. "You knew this was coming didn't you?" She grinned back. "Not this, but I had a feeling the evening would end this way." She pulled his lips back down to hers as he slipped two fingers inside of her.

After a few more moments of gentle fondling he finally slid her skirt off completely and his mouth joined his fingers. She moaned and moved frantically above him as she came, and he drank her in greedily. He took his pants off hurriedly and slid inside of her. The increased friction heightened her pleasure and they moved together quickly, both of their bodies glistening with sweat.

As John kissed her passionately Natalie came again, her muscles milking John until he reached the same pinnacle as she. They lay side by side, catching their breaths. Natalie finally spoke. "Mmm, that was yummy. I vote we buy one of those to put in your apartment." He grinned as he leaned in to kiss her, then took a deep breath. "Wanna make it our apartment?" Her eyes widened slightly. "Are you asking me to move in with you Detective McBain?" she asked breathlessly. He nodded and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing the palm.

"Natalie, I want you with me for always. I don't think either of us are ready to get married but I want you with me as much as possible until we are." Natalie giggled giddily at the sound of 'until.' "So you think we're destined for marriage do you?" she asked with a lustful grin, moving in closer. "Of course. I've known it since the day we met." She grinned, her hand finding its' way down and slowly manipulating him back to arousal. "I thought you never would admit that." She kissed him passionately and there was no more talking for a while.

THE END!


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